Gauchos Split In Vegas, Martins Named Best Offensive Player

Oct 22, 1999

Sept. 6, 1999

You Win Some, You Lose Some
Anyone that's been to Las Vegas subscribes to that theory, and Tim Vom Steeg's Gauchos are no exception. UCSB rebounded from a 5-1 blitz by Kentucky Friday to top the West Virginia Mountaineers 3-2 Sunday in the Coors Rebel Classic at UNLV this weekend. Santa Barbara City College sophomore transfer Jaime Ambriz scored his first goal of the year in the loss. Sunday, the Mountaineers were no match for the Thiago Martins Show. The junior Brazilian transfer (SBCC) hit sophomore Joe Hubay-Dies for UCSB's first goal, then connected on two shots of his own to ensure a Gaucho victory. His performance earned him Best Offensive Player of the tournament honors.

Home Opener a Hit
Behind a stadium restoration effort carried out in part by its own players, UCSB soccer opened its 1999 campaign in full force last Wednesday night vs. Cal Poly at Harder Stadium. The Gauchos overwhelmed the visiting Mustangs to the tune of a 2-0 goal margin and a 24-6 difference in shots. Thiago Martins and junior Lucas Dalgleish scored for UCSB. Dalgleish and junior A.J. Albertalli assisted on the goals. The victory came in front of a crowd of 847, some 45 more people than went to UCSB's highest-attended match last season, and 747 more than the 1998 Gauchos drew for Cal Poly. Senior keeper Stewart Sanders earned the shutout, the eighth of his career.

They Call Him "Thiba"
That is how the Gaucho players and coaching affectionately refer to UCSB's Brazilian goalscorer, Thiago Martins. Martins played two seasons for head coach Tim Vom Steeg at Santa Barbara City College prior to following Vom Steeg to UCSB. Fittingly, Thiba (pronounced "Chee-ba") scored the first goal of the new-look Gauchos' 1999 season last Wednesday vs. Cal Poly. He ran circles around the Cal Poly defenders and had several near-misses, including a bicycle kick stopped by the Mustang keeper. The Sao Paolo native also took home Best Offensive Player honors at UNLV last weekend, where he notched one assist and two goals vs. West Virginia Sunday. Thiba leads all Gaucho scorers with seven total points. Throwing out the 13-0 blowup at Menlo College, no Gaucho had totaled seven points until UCSB's 17th match of the season.

We're Not in 1998 Anymore
If Dorothy's whirlwind journey took her through Santa Barbara both this soccer season and last, the little Kansas girl wouldn't know what hit the ThunderPitch at Harder Stadium. Three matches into the 1999 season, UCSB is 2-1-0 overall and has scored six goals. The Gauchos have amassed 19 total points. Their 1998 counterparts posted two wins in a 20-game season, and only one against a Division I opponent (Denver). Again, disregarding Menlo, it took last year's Gauchos 17 matches to record their 19th point. UCSB has also already matched its 1998 home win total with an opening night shutout of Cal Poly. The Gauchos went 1-10-1 at home last year.